Continue reading »]]> While some run away from the word “accountability,” others embrace it as an opportunity. or those who run away, they do not want to take on the responsibility and ownership of something that is looking them square in the eyes. For others they seek this as a chance to make a change for the better, either for themselves or someone else. All areas of accountability relate to one’s actions or lack thereof.

What are you doing to make a change for the better and holding yourself accountable for? This could range from a multitude of things such as financial, spiritual, exercising or any another personal goal. It is easy to go through life just getting by and not trying to improve in any one area. It takes time and effort to get better in a specific area, and some take longer than others to achieve thei r goals. We live in a society that wants instant gratification and answers. Look how quickly you can obtain information and all the other things you can do with a smartphone.

One of the greatest sins of man is pride. It is easier to make excuses on why you should not be held accountable for something rather than taking responsibility. Often times the finger is pointed at someone or something else for what happened. Look at our government officials. When is the last time you have heard someone in a political position take responsibility for something that went wrong? They always point to the other party or the incumbent.

We also have the responsibility to be accountable to others around us. Whether this is to help one in who is physically in need or aiding with a spiritual struggle one is having. We are called to encourage one another toward love and good deeds. It is very tough for a single person to strive to become better in a struggling area. Having a person that you can see, hear, motivate and tell you how it is can assist in this process. It may be hard to open yourself up to intimate areas of your life, but the rewards and relationships can be very great!

These are just a few of the examples where one can be accountable for the different things they encounter. This covers the horizontal, but we are also accountable on the vertical as well. Ultimately the things that are done on the horizontal are being done either for or against God’s word; there is no gray area. As for the sheep and the goats, the things that are done to and for others are being done to God. You can’t fool God for your actions and motives for doing things. So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God (Romans 14:12).

We are held accountable for everything we do or do not do. It is easy to hold others accountable, but not ourselves. It is hard to admit you are wrong to others. Parents have a hard time admitting wrong to their children as they want to maintain that authoritative figure. It is okay to admit you are wrong to yourself and others. Be responsible for your own decisions, and accept responsibility.

At my place of work we are held accountable to one another and receive focused feedback. One of the mottos is to “See it! Own It! Solve It, and Do It!. You have the choice to decide what you want to take on in life and what we want to set aside for either someone else to do or let it resolve itself. Take action and responsibility for each other and yourself.

Continue reading »]]> Back in the early 1640’s, there was a sizeable population of English, reformation-oriented Protestants who took great issue with the king of southern England, Charles I, and his Roman Catholic wife. Things went from bad to worse, civil war erupted, and the reformationists found themselves increasingly under military pressure from the royalists. Rather than face inevitable defeat, the reformationists sought help from the northern kingdom, the land of the Scots.

Now, for reasons going back over much history, the people in the north of England were never much in the way of friends with the people in the south. They tended to hate each other. Nonetheless, the two peoples figured that in King Charles they had a mutual enemy, so they attempted a rapprochement, and the basis of this reconciliation was to be their shared thoughts on religion. They decided to forge a joint statement of faith under which the two peoples could unite. The leaders gathered together the best and brightest minds in protestant theological circles, and in 1647, along with two other documents, the Westminster Larger Catechism was born. These documents are now considered amongst the most famous statements of faith ever written, and are still in use today.

The Catechism is written in the form of questions and answers, hundreds of them, with supporting Biblical references covering every facet of Christian theology. Here is how the Catechism begins, the very first question and answer:

Question #1: What is the chief and Highest end of man? Answer: Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

Sound somewhat familiar?! Every time John Clark would ask us, “What is the  meaning of life?” and we would answer back in unison, “To love God back!” I always got a little chuckle. Interesting how this simple but most amazing and wisdom -filled observation has travelled through the ages, even to our time and to our little corner here at North Eastwood Christian Church.

Friends, in times like this, especially in the spirit of Christmas, I think the very first step, the very first answer, is to remember to love God back. If the Brits and the Scots could unite on that simple truth, so can our little church on the east side of Indianapolis. If we love God back, we will be too busy caring for each other to engage in nonsense and discord. Unfortunately, at the moment, I think we would fall in with the Corinthians who were under Paul’s reproof. 1 Corinthians 1:11 reads, “My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul;’ another, ‘I follow Apollos;’ another, ‘I follow Cephas;’ still another, ‘I follow Christ.’” To this Paul says, “Is Christ divided?” No! We are disciples of Jesus Christ only! “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” Unity of community was stressed in Paul’s writings throughout as a common theme.

Going back again in history, another reformationist Christian movement, born in the same time frame but under different persecutorial circumstances and different geography, was the Anabaptists. Today in the U.S. we know one of these groups as the Amish. Certain conservative Amish groups, such as the Old Order and Swartzentruber Amish, are famous for eschewing motorized transportation in favor of horsedrawn buggies. Ever wonder why? It is not because they think cars are inherently evil or that driving is a sin. No, the Amish consider the destruction of Christian community – entered into freely but with an oath of fidelity – to be sinful, and car ownership too enabling of mobility. To the Amish way of thinking, cars make it too easy to pack up and leave whenever the going gets tough. The Amish set up rules to govern their behavior with the intent of protecting the unity of that community at all cost. Very interesting!

Something else about the Amish. Above every other section in the Bible, they favor the Sermon on the Mount as embodying the essence of their Christian beliefs and ethics. Within the Sermon, they consider the sayings of our Lord on forgiveness paramount. Why? The Amish believe in a very literal, straightforward reading of the Bible, and Jesus says in the Sermon, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Unforgiving people, then, the way the Amish see it, can have no assurance of salvation. Very interesting!

Here is something else we find in the Sermon on forgiveness, this time relating to worship and reconciliation: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the alter. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift.” In other words, it would seem God is not interested in our worship, at NECC or anywhere else we might go, if we have left division with our brothers and sisters un-reconciled. It is interesting again to look at Amish ‘church’ gatherings in this regard. Most Amish orders have annual or semi-annual ‘meetings’ where part of what is a special service that Sunday is taken up in various issues of governance. However, that same day is set aside more importantly as a day of reconciliation. Not a single element of worship or governance proceeds until the leaders are convinced that every single discord between members has been fully reconciled. Sometimes this reconciliation process takes hours – sometimes all day, or even several weekends. But nothing happens until the unity of community has been restored. Again, very interesting!

I am not suggesting that we all don beards and bonnets and become Amish. No list of rules will ever change hearts. Yet the rules of the Amish tell us the importance of deliberateness in changing our hearts. Horse and buggy, manual labor, electricity-free homes – these have the effect of increasing the deliberateness of Amish actions as they interact with each other. Wagging one’s tongue at a neighbor requires hitching up the team and clipping along at 10-15 miles per hour to get there first. One can’t wag their tongue on the keyboard in Facebook or email, either – no computers or electricity for that! But again, rules are not necessary to create this deliberateness. We are Christians. Our hearts of stone have been replaced. The very Spirit of God lives within us. We know how to behave and we have been enabled to do so! Yet we are not completed works of sanctification – we know that the vestiges of sin live within our members. We must exercise self discipline to be deliberate, and we must repent to our God and to one another when we fail. The words of Paul in Roman’s 7:14-25 cry loudly in our own hearts!

Here is one final thought. It seems we Christians are pretty good at stepping on each other from time to time. Perhaps you feel that has been done to you or to someone you know – perhaps even by others at NECC. Let’s accept for a moment that this has happened – let us take it as a given and speak hypothetically. Are you in the right to feel hurt? Of course – we are human beings and we were given feelings by our Creator. We get hurt by others and we feel that hurt and it hurts all the more when it is perpetrated by those who should know better and care more. Yet I am reminded of passage after passage in the New Testament of how, rather than giving up and throwing in the towel, we are to rejoice in our sufferings for Christ. It also brings to mind a brief, personal appeal by Paul at the front end of one of the most encouraging and most memorized passages in the New Testament:

“I plead with Eodia [insert my name] and I plead with Syntyche [insert your name] to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow [fellow Christians of NECC], help these women [members] who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:2-5) As we come to the close of this article, you might be wondering about the title – what has all this to do with Christmas? The story of Christmas is the story of the Kingdom of God penetrating the veil of this world, delivering to mankind a baby, a Savior, the God-man who will reconcile the breach between God and man through sacrifice on the cross. The first commandment, our first response, is to love God back. The second is similar – to love each other. Merry Christmas!

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You have the chance to leave the life you are trapped in, right now!

See if you can identify with any of these characters:

You are a parent and you have a wayward daughter about 19 years old. She is a beautiful and smart young lady with a tendency to live a little on the racy side. She begins hanging out with the wrong people, she defies your house rules so you decide to give her an ultimatum that if she does not start to comply with your rules then she will have to move out. Turns out that is the opportunity she had been looking for all along- you kick her out and she moves in with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, an older sub-specimen of a human, has been in jail at least once, that you know of, for possession of narcotics and assault that was committed during a house burglary. He is disrespectful and treats your daughter like she is his sex toy, which whenever she is around him she dresses and acts like some girl on a heavy metal music video.

The day comes and you agonize in your heart as she walks out the door with a loud slam. You know the world she has now committed her life too and where it will lead her. Days go by and you do not hear from her. You see that she is active on the online social sites and by the way she talks you would think she is having the time of her life. You see her in images of partying. You see guys pawing over her body. You see her in lewd poses and you see in her remarks innuendos referring to a promiscuous party life she now lives. People call her by street names and refer to her as whore, slut, and many many more. She sees that as acceptance and she is revelling in it.

Your imagination runs wild and your soul is in torment as you remember back to that sweet beautiful little girl that played with dolls, who tried to follow in moms footsteps and adored her daddy. She would always be daddy’s little girl. Well, now some other man has her. He is using her for his thrills and the last place she wants to be is home with you. The pain is too much. The agony is excruciating. You love her so much and you know what will ultimately happen if she does not change her ways, but now she will not answer your phone calls, she will not return your emails, her friends no longer have any real tie to her. It’s as if she is dead to the world she once knew.

One day you hear that she was arrested for driving while intoxicated and for possession of illegal drugs along with her boyfriend and she is now in jail. You also find out that there is a rumor floating about that she is now pregnant and is a few weeks along. She is considering having an abortion. This can’t be confirmed though. You just wish you could go get her and bring her home. But you can’t. She is an adult now. In fact, she has not even tried to contact you for help. She refuses! Does she not even realize that you would be right there if she would just call? She does not care. As far as you know she hates you and everything you stand for. The pain still builds.

Weeks later you find out that your daughter is out of jail, had an abortion and has moved to another state. She had not been at work in months so she could not pay rent and her phone is shut off. You no longer see any activity online from her. All the news you get now is from former friends that catch pieces of information now and then from gossip. She has now completely disappeared. You do not hear from her again. Her life continued to spiral down. She eventually hits rock bottom and dies of an overdose along some alley in a far away state. Her body was found and she was hardly recognizable. Dental records confirmed her identity. It’s over. She is gone. She will never come home. Your pain will never die. You agony will be in you as long as you live.

This is how God feels about you and I when we decide to live our lives our way. And like the story, when we make that decision, to not live for God and by His standards, we will eventually die. We will be forever separated from His love, care, and protection all of which He offers to us without condition, without cost, we just take it and come back home to Him and start over by living the way He designed for us. God is waiting eagerly for you to come to Him, talk to Him and be forgiven. He will give you a brand new life! He will take all of that bad stuff and make it white as snow in His eyes! He will take delight in you and will dance over you like a father receiving his wayward son or daughter home. This part of the story is not a story at all- it’s fact!

If you would like information on how you can truly be free from you life without God or to be set free from a past filled with sin and despair I would be happy to help you! Please contact me at jim@9stines.com ]]> http://neccindy.org/can-you-relate/feed/ 0 http://neccindy.org/a-time-of-new-beginings/ http://neccindy.org/a-time-of-new-beginings/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:29:09 +0000 administrator http://neccindy.org/?p=17 Welcome to the website for North Eastwood Christian Church in Indianapolis Indiana. Please be patient and come back soon as we begin a whole new chapter in our lives. Soon this site will be thriving with information about NECC, our community, and most importantly about the One we serve, Jesus Christ.